NHS wheelchair services for patients in Southampton and other parts of Hampshire will now have a new provider.

Millbrook Healthcare Ltd has taken over the service from the Solent NHS Trust.

The service will continue to operate from two main sites in Southampton and Portsmouth and will also provide a number of outreach clinic sites across Hampshire.

The NHS wheelchair service provides wheelchairs for people who are referred through a GP or other qualified professional.

The chairs are then fitted to patients’ personal requirements by the service’s trained therapy staff. They also provide an in-house repair service, which is available at all the sites.

Staff who currently provide the service are transferring from Solent to Millbrook Healthcare and the two organisations will work together to make the transition of services for patients run smoothly.

Commercial director with Millbrook Healthcare, David Lock, said: “We are delighted to have this opportunity to provide such a vital service to local people and are looking forward to building strong relationships with everyone who uses and will use our service.”

The outreach clinic sites will be in Lymington Hospital, Avonway Community Centre in Fordingbridge, Friarsgate GP Surgery in Winchester, Wellington Centre in Andover, Gosport War Memorial Hospital and Petersfield Hospital.

The NHS wheelchair service for the Winchester area will be provided by Ability, until March 31 next year, when the services will transfer to Millbrook Healthcare.